Taking Stock of Explicit and Implicit Prejudice

Abstract

During the past century, racial attitudes in America have been radically transformed. One hundred years ago, this was a country of explicit racism, where separation of the races and discrimination against African Americans in particular were normative, formalized in laws, in the widespread practices of businesses and in the treatment of individuals by individuals every day. The civil rights movement of the 1960s brought about a landmark shift, eliciting widespread condemnation of racism, and setting the stage for the country’s embracing of multiculturalism and implementing policies in many arenas of life to level the playing field and compensate for past discrimination. These changes in public practices were accompanied by a gradual transformation of public opinion in the United States: surveys documented a steady growth of endorsement of racial equality and a decline in explicitly stated racial prejudice. More and more Americans endorsed principles of racial equality and expressed support for various policies preventing discrimination.